


Life As We Know It

by gillyandersons



Category: The Fall (TV)
Genre: Bisexuality, Cute, Domestic Fluff, Drabble, Drabble Collection, F/F, Family, Fluff, Funny, Gen, Happy, Lesbian Character, One Shot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-24
Updated: 2016-05-28
Packaged: 2018-04-27 23:33:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 6,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5069149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gillyandersons/pseuds/gillyandersons
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bunch of Stella x Reed drabbles, mainly fluff.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Spawn of Satan

Stella is starting to seriously regret buying the damn thing now. It's been six months and the cute little fur ball she purchased to try and buy herself more time in the baby department has turned into the spawn of Satan. Literally.

The stupid thing grows at her whenever Stella goes near it. She swears the dog has it in for her.

And the worst part about it is that Reed can't even see it. She thinks the dog is all fluff and rainbows and is blinded by the fact it looks like a giant fucking cloud.

But the evil little bastard is sneaky about it too. Stella never imagined a tiny little dog could be passive aggressive, then Bass came along.

When Stella brought the unnamed little bundle of fluff home half a year ago, Reed had teared up at the sheer adorableness. And Stella had to agree. Back then he was adorable. He just looked like a massive cotton ball with pink eyes and a little black heart shaped nose who wanted nothing more than to lick the pair of them to death. Reed had named him Bass, after William M. Bass, the forensic anthropologist who founded the famous body farm.

It was so nerdy that Stella fell even more in love with her.

But now, as Stella looks at the curled up ball of Satan sleeping in her girlfriends lap, Stella seriously regrets buying the damn thing.

He is snoring loudly (which is just annoying now, but Reed seems to find it the cutest thing) so Stella takes the opportunity. She smiles and leans in to kiss her girlfriend, having grown bored of the documentary Reed is making them watch. All seems good as Reed smiles and starts to lean in when Bass wakes up and snarls at Stella.

"No, naughty!" Reed scolds, putting the dog on the floor as punishment. "Bad boy!"

The dog starts to whine and skulk as Reed points toward the bed in the corner. Stella grins. Its a small victory, but she will take it. She can't help but smile even more as Reed's lips connect with hers. She cracks open one eye and revels in the fact that Bass still seems to be sulking in his bed.

Stella: 1

Bass: 101, probably. 


	2. Girlfriends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stella and Reed have 'the talk'.

There is not a lot in this world that scares Stella Gibson. She will sit in a room with a serial killer or a rapist and not blink an eyelid. She will square up to skin heads four times her size in the dark of night on an empty Belfast street. She will punch her superior officer in her face. She is what most people are afraid of.

But for some reason, Reed Smith scares the hell out of Stella.

At first, it was the way she felt about Reed. She had never felt that way about anybody before. She was not a woman who was in touch with her feelings. But now she is aware of them and she is okay with the fact she is head over heals in love with the beautiful Dr Reed Smith.

No. What scared her now was that her grandmother, the woman who raised her, was demanding she bring her girlfriend home for Christmas.

Only the problem was, Reed had never called Stella her _girlfriend_.

Sure, they were dating. Stella practically lived with Reed. Everyone knew they were together, but Reed had never brought up the subject of what they were. Neither has Stella, for that matter. She had wanted to for the past few months now, but she was scared Reed would freak out and run. She loved Reed, and she was pretty sure Reed loved her back. But still...

"What are you thinking about" Reed asked sleepily from beside Stella. "You're all tense and I can practically hear the cogs spinning in that beautiful head of yours"

By now, Reed is sitting up, leaning against her headboard as she flicks on the bedside lamp. She looks so beautiful in the dim orange glow that Stella gets momentarily lost in her.

Stella considers brushing it off, but she decides to bite the bullet and just ask.

"What are we?" She asks and Reed's eyebrows shoot so far up her forehead they almost meet her hair line. "I mean, what am I to you? Because I know we have never actually talked about it, but my Grandma is harassing me about bringing my new girlfriend back home for Christmas and that's all good but I don't know what we are"

Stella is rambling and Reed has to bite back a smile. This is a side of Stella Gibson that only she gets to see, and she feels incredibly lucky.

"I certainly hope you're my girlfriend" Reed smiles. "Thats what i've been calling you for the past few months when my mother rings. She is starting to think I have made you up by the way because she hasn't met you yet"

This causes them both to giggle. Yes, Stella Gibson giggles.

"Oh" Stella smiles, that warm tingling sensation that only Reed Smith can elicit spreads through her chest. "Now we have gotten that out of the way, you ready to meet Granny?"

"I thought you would never ask" Reed grins and Stella is unable to resist. She pulls her girlfriend down for a kiss.

That causes her to smile. _Girlfriend_. Reed Smith is her girlfriend.

God, she sounds like a love sick teenager.


	3. Surprise Homecoming

Stella is so damn excited she can hardly take it. She's shaking and is covered in a thin sheen of sweat, but she doesn't care. She has been planning this for the better part of a month, and the fact that she is going to see Reed in a matter of moments sends a wave of warmth through her body. Her chest is pounding as the secretary leads her through the halls of Reed's University.

The last time Stella actually saw Reed in person was almost 8 months ago, and Reed was in the middle of medical school. And today she is graduating, and Stella doesn't think it's possible for her to be more proud of Reed than she is at this moment.

As far as Reed knows, Stella is still on a tour in the middle of the desert and won't be home for another three months. Keeping the secret had been hard, especially the last few weeks when Reed was basically sobbing on Skype saying how much she missed Stella. That broke her heart, but thanks to the University and Reed's parents, Stella is surprising Reed in the best way possible.

Stella is still in her army combat gear, having literally gotten off the plane and headed straight here. There's still grains of sand in her boot, but Stella pushes them to the back of her mind. She is home and she is with her girl, and she is going to live in the here and now and savor it for as long as she can.

Her stomach is doing somersaults now as the secretary leads her around the corner, where she waits in the wings. It's dark and Stella can't hear anything but the pounding of her heart in her ears. Reed is next to graduate, and Stella seeks out her parents in the crowd. She spies them in the middle of the front row, her father with the camera covering his face as he videos their favourite girl, and her mother already drying her eyes with a well used tissue.

"Reed Smith" Stella's heart picks up pace as she hears the name being called, and oh God, Reed looks so Goddamn beautiful in her dress.

The megawatt smile plastered on Reed's face as she walks across the stage makes Stella's heart swell with pride and love.

"I'd like to just stop here for a moment" The graying man who is about to hand Reed her degree says to the crowd. Reed's eyes grow wide with confusion and fear and Stella swears she's gonna burt open with emotion in a minute. "Reed's mother called me and told me that she has a girlfriend in Afghanistan at the moment who wishes to be here today" at the very mention of Stella, Reed's face crumples and she starts to cry, swiping away at her eyes. "I know what that's like. My wife and I have a son who is over in Iraq..."

Stella takes that as her cue. She steps out of the wings and onto the stage, and Reed still has her back toward her. She is still oblivious. Still crying. Still thinking Stella is in Afghanistan.

"... but sometimes, wishes do come true" he steps aside and Reed finally sees Stella.

For the first time in eight long months, Reed sees the love of her life in the flesh. A whole new wave of tears flood Reed's eyes as she takes off and launches herself in Stella's arms. They are both sobbing now, holding one another so tightly that they can feel their bones being crushed.

But they don't care.

"I missed you so much" Reed whispers in Stella's ear and sobs, her tears melting on Stella's cheek as she does.

"I missed you too, baby" Stella whispers back, kissing Reed's neck as the crowd continues to scream before they walk off stage hand in hand.

A doctor and a soldier.


	4. Halloween

Reed follows the groaning noise into the living room to find Stella curled up on the sofa underneath a sea of empty sweet wrappers.

"I told you to leave some of them for the trick or treaters" Reed quirks a brow as Stella lets out another groan, clutching her stomach as she does so.

Stella picks up one of the multi-pack bags from the floor between her fingers and two small packets of sweets fall to the floor.

"Stella, are you _kidding_ me?" Reed scoffs. She knew she should have hidden the sweets better. Stella's got the worst sweet tooth known to man and is like a massive child when she wants to be.

Stella stays silent as she rolls onto her side, pressing her face into the couch cushion as she does so.

They live in a busy neighborhood right by a school, and their doorbell never stops during Halloween. The last few years have been fine because Stella has been working, therefore not in a sugar coma on the sofa.

The doorbell rings and Stella pulls one of the throw pillows over her head to block out the noise. Reed rolls her eyes as she leaves the room.

"It's a good thing I have a few chocolate bars in my purse" the dark haired woman shouts to Stella as she heads for her handbag.

The mention of more sweets causes Stella's stomach to churn even more as she continues to groan into the plush couch cushions.

"DAMMIT STELLA!" Reed shouts as she looks into the empty bag.

Stella is already shoving the empty chocolate bar wrappers down the sides of the couch, hoping Reed won't find them.


	5. Civil War

"It always looked so fun in movies and on TV" Stella spluttered.

"I don't want to be dramatic, but I think I'm going blind" Reed rubbed at her eyes as Stella continued to cough and splutter.

Stella handed her girlfriend a relatively clean dish cloth before she surveyed the damage. The whole of their kitchen was covered in a thick layer of white dust as four empty flour packets lay at their feet. Stella couldn't help but smile, there was something about Reed that brought out the inner child inside her. She always seemed to let lose and have fun, and it usually ended with them getting in some sort of trouble.

What started out as Reed making cookies for the station charity cake sale, ended up in a flour fight. Well, technically more like flour _war._ Stella had to admit that she had a lot of fun, even if she was convinced they were doing to die a painful flour induced death.

"My kitchen looks like a war zone!" Reed gasped, having finally regained her sight. Stella was going to pay for that last shot in the face, that was for sure.

"You started it" Stella quirked her brow as she stood, holding out her hand for Reed to take.

"Excuse me, _you_  were the one who smeared cookie dough on my face!"

"Did not" Stella replied in a tone that made Reed feel like she was talking to a child. Instead of replying and giving the blonde the satisfaction she wanted, Reed just rolled her eyes.

"You're helping me clean this mess up"

"Am not" Stella grinned cheekily as she stepped out into the garden, leaving floury footprints all over the decking as she walked over to the glass of wine he had abandoned half an hour earlier.

Reed groaned in frustration as she followed Stella out into the garden. The blonde had her back toward Reed, so Reed took her chance.

She grabbed the hose with one hand as she turned the tap on with the other, pointing the nozzle at Stella. The freezing water shot out and soaked Stella, causing her to scream.

"Oh it is on!" a now dripping Stella declared as she turned to a still flour covered Reed before running toward Reed and fighting to take control of the hose, drenching both of them in the process.


	6. Laila

Stella sits in the uncomfortable plastic chair beside Reed's bed, smiling down at the sleeping bundle in her arms. She hasn't moved in almost three hours in fear of waking either of her girls and her back is aching. But she doesn't care.

Reed has been sleeping for the past two hours now, which is well deserved after the 27 hour labour. But it was worth it, Stella smiles. She hasn't taken her eyes off Laila for hours.

By now, Stella thinks she has every perfect inch of her daughter mesmerised. Her cute button nose, her wrinkly pink fingers, the delicious shade of caramel skin. The jet black tufts of silky hair beneath the pink baby hat.

She knows she is biased, but Laila Smith Gibson is by far the most beautiful thing to grace the planet, after her mother of course.

Who, by the way, looks amazing for a woman who had a horrendous labour!

Stella can't help but wonder how she got so fucking lucky as she watches Laila stir slightly in her sleep as Reed snores softly beside them.

She knows she should probably put Laila back in her cot and get some sleep, they have a busy day tomorrow with all the visitors. Her parents, Reeds parents, Reed's sister, Dani, Stella's grandmother. But she can't tear herself away from her daughter.

"One more hour" Stella says to herself as she hooks her pinky inside Laila's whole hand.

"You said that two hours ago" Reed mumbles sleepily, a blissfully happy smile on her face.


	7. Mrs Gibson will see you now

Stella pouted. Ever since her assistant had lent her that book, Reed had been engrossed in it. She could kill Lucy for lending Reed that trashy book. Wasn't it supposed to get women all turned on? Stella groaned as she nudged Reed with her foot, only for the dark haired woman to swat it away, without so much as looking up from her book.

She had tried to read a chapter or so, just to see what all the fuss was about, but Stella had never read anything more ridiculous in all her life. Even she could write better smut. Heck, she _had_!

But it was really starting to annoy her now that Reed was deeper into _50 Shades Of Grey_ than she was her.

Fine, Stella sighed, getting up off the sofa. If you can't beat them, join them.

She headed up the stairs and straight for the bedroom. She knew she had that gray suit that she never wore somewhere.

Seriously, she hated the damn thing but if it would get Reed to put that fucking book down then she was willing to try anything. Even stooping as low as this.

Gotcha! Stella smiled as she pulled the blazer out from the back of her wardrobe. She threw on a crisp white shirt, the matching skirt, her dress tie from her work uniform, and a ridiculously high pair of heels. She grabbed her glasses off the bedside table and quickly threw her hair in a messy bun before admiring herself in the mirror.

Damn did she look hot!

She went back down the stairs, careful not to trip and break her neck in the damn heals. The living room door was still partly open and Reed hadn't even moved once, let alone looked up from her book. Stella rolled her eyes before she burst through the living room door, causing Reed to look up.

"Mrs Gibson will see you now" Stella shot Reed, who was wide eyed in shock, a sultry grin. Stella was leaning against the door frame, one hand on her hip and the other above her head.

Reed couldn't help it as she burst out laughing, causing Stella to once again pout. That was not the reaction she was hoping for.

"I'm sorry" Reed apologised whilst still laughing. "I don't mean to laugh, it's just..."

"Just what?!" Stella asked defensively, starting to get a little bit offended and already a bit hurt now.

"You're way sexier than Christian Grey, babe"

"Well you're more into him than me at the moment!"

"Is that what you think?!" Reed asked, genuinely shocked. Stella shrugged. "Well then, Mrs Gibson, I guess I'm just going to have to show you just how into you I am" Reed grinned as she pulled Stella down on top of her and kissed her passionately. She didn't need Christian Grey when she had Stella Gibson.


	8. Karaoke

It's Reed's fault, Stella decides as she drunkenly stumbles out of the bar, propped up and only remaining upright thanks to the woman in question.

Okay so _maybe_ she shouldn't have had that last glass of whiskey. Okay fine those last _three_ glasses of whiskey. But in her defense, Reed had forced her to go to that stupid Karaoke Bar. And it wasn't even one of those Karaoke bars where you went in your own private, soundproof booth. No. Reed had dragged her to the old fashioned kind of Karaoke bar with a stage and a 10 year old Karaoke machine.

If she wanted to get technical, she could blame Jim for this disaster of a night for being such a full blown cunt all day and putting her in a bad mood in the first place.

"'s your fault" Stella slurred drunkenly as Reed struggled to hold her girlfriend upright as they waited for a taxi.

"I know" Reed smiled through gritted teeth, trying to get Stella to stand against the wall as she dialed the taxi rank on her mobile. "You have said that about five times in the last 10 minutes"

After one too many glasses of whiskey, Stella actually found it fun to stand up on stage in front of a bunch of strangers and drunkenly massacre ABBA songs. Reed had been happy Stella seemed to finally be enjoying herself and letting loose, belting out Whitney Houston's _I Will Always Love You_ on stage, dedicating it to her 'sexy little love muffin'.

The rest of the people in the bar probably would have been mad that Stella ended up hogging the machine and singing all the songs herself, had it not been so damn hilarious to watch the woman, dressed in a silk blouse and leather skirt who was obviously not used to letting her hair down, rocking out to _Living On A Prayer_.

Stella seemed to have the attention of a lot of males in the bar, despite the fact that she kept singing love songs and dedicating them to Reed, and all of them seemed to want to buy her drinks. Reed bit down her jealousy because hey, who doesn't like free drinks?

And besides, Stella telling the young man who seemed particularly keen that he was barking up the wrong tree, down the microphone for the whole bar to hear seemed to set Reed's jealousy at ease.

"Honey, I fell out of the gay tree and his every branch on the way down before I fell into that beautiful ladies vagina face first" Reed seems to recall Stella's slurred words. She'd blushed as Stella pointed, before rapping _Baby Got Back_. Which surprised everyone, since Stella could actually rap.

Her little dance where she wiggled her butt a lot was also rather amusing. 

It was only when Stella started her rendition of _Drunk In Love_ did Reed have to pull her off stage, which got a few boos from the males in the audience who were enjoying watching the blonde grind her hips as she sang 'grindin on that wood'.

The taxi pulled up within minutes, which Reed was thankful for. She struggled as she tried to bundle Stella into the back of the car. Stella ended up lying across the seat, her head lolling around on Reed's lap.

"Feel sick" Stella grumbled into Reed's thigh. "Sing me to sleep"

Reed contemplated for a moment before she decided to comply with Stella's wishes. There was one song she knew that Stella not only loved, but also helped Stella sleep. 

"She's got a way about her, I don't know what it is but I know that I can't live without her. She's got a way of pleasing, I don't know what it is but there doesn't have to be a reason anyway"


	9. There's A First Time For Everything

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is just really silly okay.

They've only really been properly dating about a month. Everything between them is still new and they're still learning a lot about each other. For example, even though Reed's parents are Indian, she _hates_ spicy food. Or how Stella has an irrational fear of bananas. Although they spend pretty much every night together, there's still that little bit of awkwardness between them that's there at the start of every new relationship.

They're currently snuggled up on the sofa watching a movie, Stella wrapped up in Reed's embrace and the popcorn resting on her stomach.

Dani came in from work half an hour ago and is stretched out on the opposite sofa. Stella is living with Dani until she can find her own place.

Stella starts to get a pain in her stomach and she immediately regrets that cheese toastie she had for lunch. Before she has a chance to even think about what shes going to do next, Stella's body betrays her and lets out what can only be described as one of the biggest farts of her life.

Stella's eyes widen and she feels herself tense up in fear. She's just done an Earth shattering fart on her girlfriends leg.

Oh God, Stella want's to cry. Usually she would own it, but shes too fucking mortified to even speak. And the fact Dani is currently bolking and shoving a pillow over her face is only making matters worse.

She's not moved off Reed yet, but the other woman has been tense beneath her since Stella let rip.

"Oh thank God!" Reed finally speaks. "I've been holding mine in since the movie started! Salted popcorn never agrees with me!" Reed grins as she lets out a fart big enough to rival Stella's.

Stella is shocked to say the least. She had not expected Reed to react like that. Call her disgusting and dump her yes, but not fart right back. Neither of them know what to do and just break into a fit of giggles. The action causes another sneaky little bugger to slip out of Stella's cheeks and makes her and Reed laugh even harder. The embarrassment Stella felt a few moments ago has now gone completely.

Both Stella and Reed are crying they are laughing so hard.

"The pair of you are fucking disgusting!" Dani bolks once again, the couch cushion still pressed against her face as she leaves the room. It's going to be a long night!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When writing this chapter, I realised that the word bork/borking (which I have used my WHOLE BLOODY LIFE) is actually boLk/boLking. Honestly, I am so shocked. I'm sure i'm not the only one who has called it borking? Maybe its a regional thing hahahaha.


	10. Oliver

"I told you we should have gotten the golden retriever puppy"

"It's not the animal of choice" Stella sighs as she watches their daughter yank the cats tail. The ginger tabby flicks his tail from Laila's grip and Stella waits for the wail as Oliver, the cat, swipes at the baby with his claws. But the wail does not come.

"Is she...?" Reed asks, just as shocked and confused as Stella.

"I think so" Stella nods, wide eyed.

"I did not see that coming!" Reed almost chuckles as she watches Oliver hiss at Laila, only for the toddler to get on all fours and hiss right back at the poor cat. Laila has spent far too much time with the evil mutt they own, Stella muses before she realises Laila is once again reaching for Oliver's tail.

"Laila no!" Reed scoops up the two year old and hoists her on her hip. "We don't pull Oliver's tail, you know that!"

Reed hands the two year old over to her wife before she picks up the terrorised cat, who, surprisingly, doesn't struggle or scratch at her to get away, and begins to stroke him lovingly. Oliver seems to forget all about being terrorised as he closes his eyes and starts purring at Reed's touch. Stella shoots her wife a cheeky grin.

Same Ollie, same.

"See what Mama is doing?" Stella asks, pointing toward her wife. "We _stroke_ the kitty, we _don't_ yank his tail"

"Or pull his whiskers" Reed adds, remembering last week when Stella all but flew across the room to save their daughter from Ollie's claws.

"Like dis?" Laila asks, looking at her mothers for approval. She's not so much stroking Oliver as she is smacking him on the head, but its close enough, and the cat seems to like it so they figure it'll do.


	11. Bollywood Pop Star

Reed is in the kitchen, stirring the pasta sauce when she hears it.

Her blood runs cold and the wooden spoon clunks as it makes contact with the tile floor.

No. This can't be happening.

Reed is frozen to the spot, her stomach churning as ice cold blood continues to pump through her body.

She hears muffled, almost maniac laughing from the front room.

Oh God no.

She wants to scream, but she is still frozen in fear.

The laughing gets louder as she hears footsteps approaching. She wants so badly to busy herself with the pasta sauce but she physically cannot move.

Reed's dark eyes grow wide in horror as Stella, followed by her elder brother, enter the kitchen. Stella has the biggest shit eating grin on her face Reed has ever seen. She is going to _kill_ her brother.

Stella brings her arms over her head and starts humming that all too familiar tune and Reed prays to any God that will listen that the ground swallows her whole right now. Her brother starts dancing behind Stella, singing the words Stella has yet to memorise.

Stella is still dancing and giggling when Reed finally snaps out of it. She frowns, shooting her brother a death glare as she crosses her arms over her chest. Her brother, having grown up with the infamous Reed Smith stare downs, is none pulsed and instead, hits play on his phone as the tune fills the kitchen.

Stella is on the verge of tears she is laughing so hard.

There are several different ways Reed could react. But instead she just simply sighs.

"I take it my brother has filled you in on the year of my life where I was a famous Bollywood pop star, then?" she monotones. She knew she shouldn't have left Stella and her brother alone once she saw how well they got on.

"This is by far the most amazing thing my eyes have _ever_ witnessed!" Stella looks like a six year old on Christmas morning as she points toward the phone.

"My sister underplays it" Reed's brother grins. "She will tell you she had one small song, but she had a hit album. She was a 16 year old sensation!"

"Wait, you mean there's _more_?!" Stella looks like she is about to burst at the seams with excitement.

"I swear to every God on this Earth, Kiran, if you show Stella _any_ more I will show her that lovely photo album of _you_ when you were fifteen!" Its not often Reed threatens, but right now she feels that threats are appropriate.

Kiran laughs and Stella's brows are so high with curiosity they almost get lost in her hairline.

"Fine" Reed shrugs. "I'll just tell Mum and Dad what's really growing at the back of their allotment"

The older man coughs, before quickly excusing himself as Reed grins in victory.

"Are you really not going to show me any more of your Bollywood days?" Stella asks, pouting.

"Nope" Reed replies, the 'p' popping as if to emphasise her point. She turns back to the stove and quickly salvages what's left of the burning pasta sauce.

She feels Stella's arms wrap around her waist and Stella's head rest on her shoulder.

"But I really want to see" Stella pouts before kissing Reed's earlobe in the place that makes her weak. "Sixteen year old me would have had posters of you on her wall, especially in that red sari!"

"I still have that sari" Reed grinned as she felt Stella's hand brush her hip as she turned the knob on the cooker off before dragging Reed into the front room.

"It's been really nice to meet you" Stella smiles at Kiran who has suddenly busied himself with the TV. "But you need to leave"

The older man looks shocked as Stella hands him his coat.

"I hope you visit again soon, preferably with more videos, but your sister and I have some... _business_ to attend to. Right now" Stella has all but pushed the almost 6 foot man out of the front door.

"Ew, gross!" Kiran scrunches up his face as Stella shoves him out the door.

"I need to see you in that sari again like _yesterday_!" Stella is clumsily dragging Reed up the stairs toward the bedroom with more hunger than a lion stalking it's prey.

Reed isn't in the damn thing more than 30 seconds before Stella is ripping it off, kissing every single inch of her girlfriend.

Maybe being a former Bollywood pop star had some perks, Reed grins to herself in the aftermath of what can only be described as the best sex they ever had.


	12. Jessica Jones

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slight spoilers for Jessica Jones!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Reed kicks the door shut behind her, throwing her keys in the bowl and shrugging off her jacket. She had been in work since 8 that morning and it was almost 8pm. She'd only gone in because it was an emergency. Reed didn't usually work Sundays.

As Reed walks further into the house, she hears muffled sniffling coming from the living room. Reed's heart drops into her stomach as she runs toward the sound.

"Stella? Baby, whats wrong? Are you okay?"

Stella is sat on the sofa, a blanket wrapped around her and empty packets of food around her. Her eyes are bloodshot and red as she sobs into a well worn tissue.

"No I am not" Stella sniffles. "She said... She said.. I lov-" Stella hiccups before a whole new wave of tears spill from her eyes.

At this, Reed's heart breaks and she starts to worry. She has never seen Stella like this before and quickly rushes to her side. She holds Stella in her arms as the blonde continues to cry.

"Jesus, Stell" Reed kisses the other woman's forehead and begins to rock her soothingly. Reed repositions herself on the sofa and leans on the remote. The TV bursts to life and the credits continue to roll on the screen. Reed narrows her eyes as the familiar song fills the air.

"You _didn't_!"

Stella looks up at Reed with watery eyes and nods.

"Oh for fucks sake, Stella!" Reed huffs. "You promised me you wouldn't jump ahead this time!"

"I tried not to" Stella sniffled. "But Dani text me saying she had just finished and that I _really_ needed to see the last episode because I would die! She was right, Reed. I have died and am in emotional hell!"

"Ah, Stella!" Reed yelled, covering her ears with her hands. "No spoilers! I'm still on episode 5, _remember_?!" Reed says bitterly.

"Sorry. But baby, I tried to resist. But I _couldn't_!"

Reed crosses her arms over her chest. She is pissed at Stella. They had been watching Jessica Jones together and Stella had jumped ahead. Again. This was _Orange Is The New Black_ all over again.

"JESSICA AND TRISH!" Stella wailed and Reed once again covered her ears with her lands.

"Don't even _think_ about spoiling me, Stella!" Reed growled.

"TRISH AND JESS!" Stella yelled again and Reed threw a well aimed cushion at Stella, hiting her square in the face. "TRISHICA!"

"What?"

"Stay off _Tumblr_ " Stella mumbled, motioning toward her laptop. Reed just rolled her eyes.

"I _was_ going to order in some take away tonight but since you skipped ahead, _you_ can cook tea whilst _I_ watch more episodes!" Reed quirked her brow. Stella pouted for a second before she grabbed her laptop off the floor.

"Fine" She sniffled once again. "Dani's been writing a Jess x Trish fanfic since last night and she's almost finished so I guess i'll read that and continue to cry in the kitchen!"

Reed is glad she is off work the next day, because she ended up staying up all night finishing _Jessica Jones_ and crying with Stella most of the day after the finale! 


	13. The Vase Incident

"Hey! I was watching that!" Reed protests when Stella changes the channel.

"You were not! You were on your phone!" Stella replies, arching a perfectly arched brow toward said device.

"I was sending an email to Dr. Simmons about some autopsy results!"

"Yes, my point exactly. Sending an email. Not watching your _boring_ show"

"Stella put BBC back on!"

"No"

"Yes!"

"No!"

Reed groaned and rolled her eyes before she reached across to grab the remote from Stella's hands.

"Hey! Ow!" Stella wiggled out from beneath Reed as she wrapped her leg around Stella's, causing the other woman to trip.

Stella watched as the remote control went flying through the air and hitting the vase on the coffee table. Time seemed to slow as Stella watched the vase wobble from side to side before it fell to the floor and smashed into tiny pieces. She felt her blood run cold. That was Reed's favourite vase and it cost a bloody fortune!

Reed was going to _kill_ her!

Stella was too afraid to turn around and look at Reed and instead just stayed frozen to her spot on the floor.

Reed burst out laughing, making Stella seriously confused.

"Oh my God, you are an absolute child!" Reed laughed.

"Am not!" Stella grumbled. "And besides, _you_ started it!"

"I did not!"

"Did too!"

"I did not!" Reed laughed, holding out a hand as she pulled Stella back up onto the sofa. "I hope you're good with super glue. My mother is coming for dinner Friday and if she finds out you broke the vase-"

Stella shot off the sofa like it was made of fire and ran to the kitchen to find the superglue. There was no way in hell Reed's mum was going to shout at her for breaking something. _Again_.


	14. We Have The House To Ourselves

Dani has the kids for the weekend and the house seems strange. It is quiet and clean and doesn't at all feel like the home Stella and Reed have been used to for the past five years. 18 months after Laila's arrival, they had welcomed another child into the world. Maia Smith Gibson. 

The kids have only been gone two hours and both Stella and Reed already miss the noise and the chaos that two young children entail. 

"I had forgotten what it was like to get housework done without having a child nagging at you every five minutes" Reed flops down on the sofa next to Stella after finishing the ironing. 

The living room is spotless and it looks bigger than they remember. Stella flips through the different stations on the TV as Reed snuggles into her side. Its been so long since they have actually watched something that isn't Peppa Pig that nothing seems interesting. All the housework is actually done. The TV is boring. The kids are away. Stella smirks. 

"I have an idea what we could do" she grins wickedly. 

"I hope it involves the bed" Reed grins back, just as mischievously. 

"You read my mind!" Stella winks as she stands, holding out a hand for her wife. 

They walk up the stairs hand in hand. It is such an odd sensation to walk up the stairs and not step on a piece of lego or trip on some sort of loud, annoying toy!

Stella's already half naked before they even get to the bedroom, the anticipation too much to bare. 

Reed jumps into bed as Stella kicks off her shoes. 

"It's been years since I have had a decent nap!"

"See you in a couple of hours" Stella kissed her wife on the nose before she flops down on the bed. 

It takes less than five minutes before they are both snoring. Neither of them wake till mid afternoon the next day when Dani is dropping the girls off.


	15. Heartbreak

Stella stretches as she leaves the office, her back and neck tight and full of knots from being hunched over a desk all day. She'd gotten home from work an hour or so early and planned to finish off her paperwork at home before everyone else got back. That was four and a half hours ago. 

Still, at least she was finished and had the rest of the weekend to spend with her wife and daughters. 

The house was unusually quiet, which set Stella on edge. She could hear the low, muffled sound from a TV upstairs and assumed the girls must be watching a movie together.

She couldn't hear her wife moving about the kitchen, something which  _really_ put her on edge. She walked down the hallway of their home and was about to call out for her wife when she heard the soft, almost whispers, of her wife's soothing voice.  

Reed was sat on the sofa in the living room, Laila sprawled out across her softly snoring. Reed was playing with locks of long, silky black hair, twirling and twisting it between her fingers as she hummed the familiar nursery rhyme. Laila had her face shoved into her mother's chest, her hair fanned out across it, but Stella could see her daughters puffy red eyes and tear stained cheeks a mile off.

"Baby?" Stella asked softly, making herself known. Reed jumped slightly, her humming halting but her fingers still playing with Laila's dark locks. "What's going on?" Stella asked as she stepped into the room. "Is everything okay?".

Reed nodded and Stella was sure she could see the faintest hint of a smile.

"Everything's fine" Reed clarified as Stella sat down at their daughters feet and started rubbing her back. "It's just boy trouble" Reed shrugged with a light laugh.

Laila was 10 and had gotten herself so worked up about this boy she had a crush on, who didn't like her back, that she'd sobbed herself to sleep on Reed.

"Right" Stella nodded as if to say  _that's that_. Laila sniffled in her sleep and hugged her mother tighter. Her hair fell from her face, giving Stella a full view of her sad, puffy little face. "Darling?" Stella addressed her wife.

"Hhhmm?" Reed answered.

"Where are my car keys?"

"On the hook" Reed replied, really  _not_ seeing where her wife was going with this.

Stella nodded again, this time coming to stand up carefully as not to wake their sleeping child.

"And where is my gun?" 

Reed does nothing but smirk and roll her eyes, until she hears the front door click and has to chase her wife out of the house.

 

 


End file.
